The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced new guidance and resources to support the retrofitting and weatherization of affordable housing in the United States. This includes a technical assistance guide for leveraging federal funds to retrofit homes and an updated funding navigator tool designed to help communities utilize federal investments for climate and resiliency upgrades.
"Under this Administration, we have been working hard to ensure that America’s homes are not only affordable, but resilient, quality places where families can thrive into the future," said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. "Today, we are releasing new technical assistance, guidance, and tools to help the communities we serve adapt to the effects of climate change."
The new Build for the Future Retrofit Guide aims to use funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. It focuses on preserving affordable housing, protecting residents from climate hazards, and reducing housing and energy costs. The guide identifies resources across several federal agencies including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of the Treasury, and Environmental Protection Agency. It highlights four opportunity categories: efficiency, renewable energy, climate resilience, and transit-oriented development.
Additionally, HUD has launched a major update to its Funding Navigator tool. The updated tool helps consumers and organizations identify potential funding opportunities from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for building resilient housing. Changes include simplifying search fields, prioritizing funding opportunities, clarifying applicant requirements, streamlining applications, improving keyword search efficiency, and focusing on equitable access.
These initiatives are part of HUD's ongoing efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration's Justice40 Initiative. This initiative aims to ensure 40 percent of certain federal investments' overall benefits flow to underserved communities.
